Bacterial Communities Developing during Composting Processes in Animal Manure Treatment Facilities

We analyzed succession of the bacterial communities during composting of animal manure in three individual facilities. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) targeting for the bacterial 16S rRNA gene were used to clarify the changes of bacterial community throughout each composting process. Our study revealed that the bacterial community structures differed during the composting process. The bacterial community in composting of facility A showed little change throughout the process. In the compost sample from facility 13, its community had a small shift as the temperature increased. In compost from facility C, the temperature dynamically changed; it was shown that various bacterial communities appeared and disappeared as follows: in the initial phase, the members of phylum Bacteroidetes dominated; in the thermophilic phase, some bacteria belonging to phylum Firmicutes increased; towards the end, the community structure consisted of three phyla, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria. This study provides some information about the bacterial community actually present in field-scale composting with animal manure.